Maternal Chaos
by Morrisburger
Summary: Shy, quiet, Lily Evans is suddenly burdened with a small, accident inducing merchild in her sixth year with none other than the Marauders assigned to protect her and the baby. Chaos, friendship, and perhaps even a little lust ensues.
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe

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Snap!

A twig broke under the weight of someone's (or more likely, something's) step.

Lily whirled around and searched the darkness behind her, now certain that something was following her.

Normally, she felt at ease in the Forbidden Forest, despite its rather bleak name. During her many romps through its gnarly trees and winding paths, she always took great care to respect it and the integrity of the beings that called its magical environment home. However, her walk in the forest tonight after her Care of Magical Creatures test last period (which she easily aced, she had always had a way with animals) had left her with an unsettling feeling of being watched…

Turning around slowly, she continued to make her way back to Hogwarts and the dull security that was her feather bed. Her thoughts turned to Hogwarts and her feet followed. Hogwarts, her true home and the only place she truly felt safe and appreciated, by her professors, not by her peers. Most of her fellow students avoided her, finding her a little too odd to accept into their cliques, yet not sufficiently bothersome to warrant bullying or harassment.

Yes, Lily was usually just left alone with her books, her drawing, and her eccentricities. Not that she minded, of course, her exemption from the tiresomely shallow teenage hierarchy just gave her more time to devote to her studies and her passion for art and animals, or, at least that's what she told herself when she saw other kids her age laughing and having fun with their friends…

Lily pulled her jumper more firmly around her slim body as she slowed her pace, relishing the feel of the breeze whipping her bright red hair against her face. She swung her sketchbook by her side as she hummed a recent pop hit she had heard on the wireless in the common room the other night. Climbing over a fallen tree, she bent down to retie her shoelace when she heard an odd noise. She couldn't place it because it sounded muffled by a piece of material.

Honestly, this was getting ridiculous, Lily thought.

"Hello!" She called out, not really expecting a reply.

Frowning at the serene sounds of birds chirping and the low wailing cry of an augurey in the distance, Lily backtracked a few yards, fully intent on telling whatever was following her just how rude trailing someone for half an hour was in polite society (fully forgetting the forest was not equal to Almack's and etiquette was not exactly a priority with most inhabitants…).

Climbing back over the fallen tree, Lily went in the direction she had heard most of the sounds. Making sure she was avoiding any poisonous plants, she walked through the trees, thinking that maybe she—

_Thump_!

Lily's thoughts were interrupted as she found herself with her back against the cold ground and her feet tangled around a root. Dammit, she thought as she picked herself up, dusted her jeans off, deciding to hell with it and went to turn back to the castle. Then she saw it.

A bundle of cloth on the path.

An _abandoned _bundle of cloth on the path.

An abandoned _whimpering _bundle of cloth on the path.

Now, Lily was by no means an expert on abandoned bundles of cloth, but she was fairly certain they were not supposed to whimper…

Cautiously inching towards it, she held out her wand and poked it.

Nothing.

She poked it again.

Still nothing.

Completely baffled, she could only stand there bewildered until it let out a piercing wail.

Nearly jumping out of her skin, Lily recognized the sound she had heard earlier. It was crying. It was a _baby _crying.

Bleeding hell.

Lily looked down at the sight before her. The bundle of cloth had unraveled when its occupant had let out a particularly loud wail and Lily could fully see it. It beat its tiny fists in the air, obviously extremely dissatisfied with its current situation. Lily would have found its head of golden curls and huge blue eyes adorably cherubic, that is, of course, if it wasn't screaming bloody murder in the middle of a bleeding forest!

Lily started to panic. What the bleeding fuck was a baby doing in the forest! And who had been following her! She had just passed by here, whoever it was had heard her retracing her steps and left the baby, a her, or him, no, wait, _definitely _a him (the blanket had moved aside and revealed chubby little legs that were also beating in the air in discomfort), on the path for her to find!

Lily stood, completely immobile. What was she supposed to do? As she stood staring at the baby, she quickly realized that whatever she decided to do, she couldn't let him freeze. Moving down beside him, her hands shook as she readjusted the blanket tightly around him, slightly appeasing him for the moment. She laughed at her shaking hands, marveling at her discomfort. She had faced ashwinders, boggarts and even Aragog in this forest and not batted an eyelid, yet when confronted with a harmless baby, she got the shakes!

She quickly looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of anyone, anything, to help solve this mystery.

No dice.

Sighing, she considered her options. Well, what could she even do? It's not like she could just take him back to the castle, Dumbledore would—

Wait! Of course! She would take the little tyke to Dumbledore! The brilliant old wizard would surely know what to do!

Smiling at her good luck at having such a kind-hearted genius as her headmaster, she bent down and reached for the baby. Picking it up as she would if handling a small animal in CoMC class, she almost dropped it when it let out a great wail. She grimaced and held it closer, attempting to imitate how the sisters at the orphanage where she stayed during the summer handled the babies.

Thinking her eardrums might burst if he reached a higher pitch (and more than a little worried at the remarkable shade of red the baby was turning), she did the only thing she could think of.

She sang.

Her voice was still a little shaky from her recent shock but the sweet, melodic tones seemed to sooth the child in her arms as she rocked it back and forth.

Having never really considered herself a maternal sort of girl, Lily was quite surprised to find herself smiling down at the babe. Snapping out of it, she quickly reprimanded herself for getting sentimental feelings towards the little wailer. After all, Dumbledore would soon find the irresponsible mother and fix this misunderstanding.

Charming her sketchbook to fit in her pocket, Lily set off towards the castle, thinking how funny it was going to be to walk into Dumbledore's office with a baby in her arms. Chuckling to herself and singing to the baby, she planned out what she would say to the Headmaster.

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"So…" Albus Dumbledore said, letting his serious tone wash over the boys in front of him. Not that it affected them, of course. The Marauders all looked at him with wide innocent eyes and blank expressions.

"So," he began again, willing his eyes not to show the amusement he was feeling at the news of their latest prank. "You boys will never believe what Professor Slughorn has just informed me of…"

The boys all seamlessly cocked their heads to the side inquisitively, as if they had no idea what the Potions Master had found wrong with his store cupboard.

Dumbledore steepled his fingers beneath his long beard and frowned at the group of boys assembled in front of him, each one the picture of innocence and virtue. Of course, being the Headmaster for the last 6 years, Albus knew better than to trust the façade before him.

James Potter and Sirius Black sat in the two middle chairs, perfectly at ease beneath the scrutiny of the older wizard. Dumbledore was incredibly wise and just as fair; they did not fear him, although they had great respect for him. The two boys were in this office almost as much as he was, always accused of some misdemeanor or another, yet far too clever to ever have something proven against them. After 6 years of transgressions, most professors didn't even bother reporting them now. In fact, the professors seemed to be almost as fond of them as the students were. Everywhere they went they were the objects of great admiration, always setting the standards for 'cool', whatever that means…

Obviously, this admiration rubbed off on them, nurturing their egos. It didn't help that both boys were abnormally handsome in their own way, James with his attractive coffee-brown eyes, untamable hair, and carefree wit, and Sirius with his gorgeous black locks, steel-gray eyes, and self-assured charm. Together, they had broken more hearts and rules than any other duo to date. In short, they had the run of the school.

On either side of them sat another vital part of the Marauding team: Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Remus, although arguably as attractive as the other two, had a better sense of judgment and was less obvious about his transgressions, when playing with both hearts and with rules. However, this refined sense of wisdom, though keen, could outweigh neither his penchant for mischief nor his fierce loyalty to his friends, who had stuck by him despite some rather unsavory situations.

Remus glanced to the other side of the quartet, idling wondering if Peter was going to withstand Dumbledore's stare. Not that Remus didn't trust Peter; however, Peter did have a problem with authority figures, usually favoring to go with the flow than stand up to them. Although Peter was squirming slightly in his chair, he seemed to be holding up against the old man's gaze.

Peter nervously pushed a strand of blond hair behind his small ear and hoped the Headmaster would let them go soon. For Merlin's sake, they hadn't left any evidence to accuse them! Peter glanced over to his friends, more than a tad envious at their comfortable posture and carefree grins… He jumped slightly when Dumbledore resumed his speech.

"Well, boys, you know as well as I do that—"

Dumbledore's words were interrupted by a knock on his office door, so light that the boys didn't hear it. Peter twitched nervously, wondering why the Headmaster had stopped talking.

"Come in." Albus said, raising his head to see who had come to see him.

All four of the boys' heads turned to see who had interrupted their lecture. Their eyes widened as they saw Lily Evans timidly walk into the room. They were surprised that she even knew where Dumbledore's office was, let alone the password. They were even more surprised to see her carrying a bundle against her chest, a bundle that looked suspiciously like a baby!

The boys' eyes widened when they heard the baby let out a little snore in its sleep. They turned around to face the Headmaster, each one curious about the interesting change in events.

If the Headmaster was surprised that his best student had just wandered into his office with a child in tow, he didn't look it. In fact, he smiled kindly at the redhead and conjured another chair for her to sit in.

"Miss Evans," he said, trying to put her at ease, "Do sit down, I daresay your situation will be much more interesting than doling out detention to these young chaps."

Lily glanced at said boys and felt her face flush. Honestly, people didn't have the right to be that attractive and yet so arrogant!

"Uh, sir," she stammered out, not wanting to discuss this in front of the school's most popular clique, "I can come back after you're done, I—"

Her sentence was cut off when the baby started to cry softly. She readjusted his blanket and rocked him a little, trying not to laugh at the dumbstruck looks on the boys' faces.

"Nonsense, Miss Evans," Dumbledore said, "Now, what would be the problem you are having?"

Lily gaped at him. Did the man not see the baby clutched to her breast!

"I, well, you—I found—"Lily spluttered, her rehearsed speech flying out the metaphorical window.

Albus smiled at Lily, trying to put her at ease. "Where did you find the bundle of joy, Miss Evans?"

Lily was slightly annoyed at his light tone, as if she came in here with a child clutched to her chest every other day.

"He was in the Forest! I heard someone following me and I—"

She was cut off as one of the boys spoke up. She thought his name was James, but wasn't sure.

"You were in the forest? You shouldn't go in there! You could get—"

Dumbledore held up his hand to silence the young boy. "Mister Potter," he said, "I believe that you reprimanding Miss Evans on her out of bounds wandering is akin to the proverbial pot calling the metaphorical kettle black, hmmm? Please continue Miss Evans."

James frowned at the Headmaster and quieted down, wondering why the pretty redhead had been out in the forest alone. He didn't know much about her, except she was in his house and kept to herself mostly, but the thought of her getting hurt still bothered him for some reason…

"Well" Lily started, "That's all there really was… I heard someone following me, so I turned back but I just found this baby… And, well, I couldn't just leave him there… So, well, I, uh, brought him to you."

Albus nodded at her. "I see, I applaud you for your good thinking, you did the right thing. As for the baby, let me guess. A head of astonishingly blond curls, remarkably blue eyes, and very lulled by singing?"

Lily's eyes widened at his apparent knowledge. "Why, yes! This is wonderful," Lily said, "You know him! You can find his mother and—"

"Alas," Dumbledore interrupted, "That is not the case."

Lily's eyes dimmed in confusion. "But, you said—"

"Yes, Miss Evans" Dumbledore again interrupted, "I know what I said. Sadly, it is not from personal acquaintance that I know the child, rather, I am acquainted with the species."

"Species?" Lily asked, confused. "But he's looks human…" She peered down at his sweet face and couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore was right. The baby's hair was too perfect, his eyes too blue, his smile too bright, to be considered altogether normal.

"Yes, they all look human" Dumbledore said, "At least until they reach their first year and sprout their gills."

"Gills!" Lily and the boys questioned simultaneously. Lily had almost forgotten their presence until they exclaimed aloud with her.

"Yes, gills" Dumbledore continued, ignoring their shocked expressions, "How else would they breathe underwater? That is where mermen live, traditionally speaking…"

Lily stared dumfounded at the baby. How could this little creature's smooth ivory skin turn into the scaly, gray skin she had seen in so many depictions in books? There had to be a mistake.

"No mistake, Miss Evans" Dumbledore said. Lily wondered how he knew what she was thinking. "Yes, it seems we are in a pickle…"

"How so, Headmaster?" Lily asked, not sure she wanted to hear the explanation.

Smiling kindly at her, he wondered how to explain that she was going to be burdened with a baby for what looked like, well, at least a couple of months… "I assume you haven't read Kalen McFishies _So You've Found a Merbaby?_ Either edition?"

Lily shook her head.

"I can't say I'm surprised," Dumbledore said, "Quite longwinded if you ask me. However, I was forced to endure McFishies wordy oeuvre a number of years ago, when another student found herself in the same situation as you."

Lily didn't bother to ask him to explain, knowing he would tell her everything she needed to know in time.

He did.

"Well," Dumbledore said, "Merfolk are reclusive creatures, guarding their privacy with utmost care. Except, of course, when a mother is forced to abandon her baby. You see, Lily, merfolk are very strict when it comes to breeding. When they encounter a child that doesn't meet their standards, they force the mother to abandon it, usually far from the banks of their water so she is not tempted to sneak it back in."

Lily gasped at their cruelty, wondering how they could have found fault with such a wonderful little thing.

Dumbledore continued. "Most of the time, the mother cannot save her child for she needs someone to nurture it until it reaches its first year and can slip back into the clan unnoticed. However, there have been a number of documented cases where the mother has found an adequate surrogate human to stand in her place temporarily. It seems, Miss Evans, that in this instance, you qualify."

Lily felt his words sink in; she was shocked by this bizarre turn of events.

Dumbledore cast a look to the boys in front of him, wondering how they would react to the plan quickly taking shape in his head.

Dumbledore went on, "There are certain, er— oddities that go along with these merchildren. You see, merfolk are the bearers of old, dark magic. When a merperson is out of water for prolonged periods of time, they tend to lose control of their powers, resulting in freak accidents and calamities. The last time something like this happened, Velma McPherson, the young lady in charge of the baby, had to be followed around constantly, forever having chandeliers fall around her, freak fires starting up unexpectedly…"

Lily's eyes widened even further at the mention of random fires, as did the boys' eyes.

"So, Miss Evans," Dumbledore began, a twinkle in his eyes, "You can see why I wanted the boys to stay."

Lily looked at him blankly, then, it dawned on her.

"Oh, no! You can't be serious!" She said, not wanting to voice what she thought the Headmaster was proposing.

The boys quickly caught on to what Dumbledore was suggesting, yet rather bewildered at Lily's harsh tone of rejection. Any other girl in the school would adore having to be around them constantly!

Lily blushed as she realized how her exclamation sounded, the last thing she needed was for the Marauders to start noticing her. With her luck, they would start pranking her and her bully-free life would be ruined.

Lily recollected her thoughts and started again. "I mean, that's nice of you to offer, but really, I'll be fi—" Lily's rejection was cut short when she heard a noise above her. The next thing she knew, she was staring at the corner of a heavy looking book hovering less that an inch above her nose. It had somehow fallen off the shelf and would have knocked her out, if James Potter hadn't used his quidditch-honed reflexes to cast a quick _Immobulus._

Lily stared at the book above her head, thinking about how close she had been to being taken out by the tome. She was speechless.

James Potter put his wand back in his pocket and cleared his throat. "We would be happy to be of assistance, Headmaster." James said, daring Lily with his eyes to contradict him, with the evidence hanging not half an inch above her head.

Sirius smiled at his friend's chivalry. Hell, it would probably get annoying having to bodyguard a girl against flying objects and random flames, but he would be damned if he would turn down the Headmaster's request for help.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, "I'm pretty sure I have a suit of armor somewhere and I'm sure I could conjure up a noble steed, count me in."

The other two Marauders nodded their agreement.

Lily could only gape.

Bloody. Hell.


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe

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Lily and the Marauders walked back to the Gryffindor tower in silence, each one lost in their racing thoughts, mulling over what Dumbledore had told them…

_Chuckling slightly at the incredulous looks on his students' faces after hearing Lily would have to lodge in their dorm until the situation was resolved, Dumbledore explained some of the more logistical developments of the new arrangement._

"The baby must be kept by your side at all times," Dumbledore said, looking in Lily's direction. "There is already a magical bond between the two of you, even if you have yet to sense it. Do not worry about missing any classes, I will inform your professors of this new development and you shall continue to attend class and meals as in the past."

_Lily was happy to hear that this arrangement would not affect her academic year; after all, NEWTS were swiftly approaching, (well, a year and a half, but still…). The boys were still speechless after hearing they would have a new dormmate. Well, two actually, counting the little baby who was gurgling and reaching for a bright lock of Lily's red hair. The new living arrangement was not bothering Lily, for she had absolutely no intention of going through with it. She would put up with the boys during classes and meals, but there was no way she was setting foot in their room._

"Don't be difficult Miss Evans," Dumbledore said, not unkindly. Lily jumped as she realized he was reprimanding her for thinking she would shirk the plan. Bloody hell! She hadn't said it aloud! Dumbledore continued, "You will be with one of the boys at all times, yes, even during slumber. Although, you will have to cast a protective ward at night once everyone is asleep and no longer protecting you and the child. Now, any questions? No? Alright, you may leave. Lemon drop for the road, anyone?

Lily wondered how she would break the silence that had settled on the group. For chocolate's sake, she had never even spoken to these boys before, and now she was more or less chained to them for the rest of the school year!

"Uh," she began, so much for articulacy. "So, I don't think this is going to work, I think—"

Sirius interrupted her. "No dice, Red, (Lily frowned at the nickname and went to interrupt, without success) we promised ol' Albus. Face it, you're stuck with us. Besides, you should be thrilled, you'll be the envy of all the girls, you're the first chick we won't have to sneak into our room, you're actually _required _to be there."

Lily grimaced at the insinuation. Readjusting the baby in her arms, she rolled her eyes at his arrogance. "Look, Black," she said, demanding her knees not to go weak at his dashing smile, "Let's get this straight. I don't like you. In fact, I'm pretty sure I dislike you. You're a bully, a womanizer, and just plain not good, so keep your snarky comments to yourself if you want to survive the next couple of weeks."

Remus and James laughed at her comment, loving the look of shock on their overconfident friend's face at actually meeting a bird that didn't melt into a pile of goo when he flashed her his pearly whites. It was quite refreshing.

Remus turned to her and took her hand in a handshake, smiling at her look of surprise. "Hi, I'm Remus Lupin," he said, "I think you are the first girl to rebuff that boy and you have won my undying respect."

Not to be outdone, (and not to mention feeling an odd sensation at seeing a bloke touching Lily) James went in front of her on his bended knee and exclaimed, "Yes, fair redheaded Evans, you show great sense of judgment in rejecting that poncy berk and I would like to say—"

Alas, Lily would never find out what James was going to say for said 'poncy jerk' jumped on his friend and the two started to play wrestle on the ground. Lily almost found herself laughing along with them, finding them decidedly fun, almost normal teenagers, rather that the 'totally edible dishes' her dormmates always referred to them as.

Just as she let out a soft chuckle at their antics, she heard an odd creaking sound beside her. Turning around, she saw Remus quickly cast an _Immobulus_. She looked up to make out what had happened and saw that not one foot above her head hovered a deadly looking blade. Her eyes traveled down its length and saw that it was attached to a long handle. Somehow, an ax attached to a suit of armor had come loose and plummeted towards her body. Sensing Lily's fear, the babe in her arms started to cry. Lily could only hold him and gape at the sharp edge levitating above her, the gravity of the situation hitting her all over again.

"Bloody hell…" James said, still locked in a fighting position with his best mate on the ground. Jumping up quickly, he touched Lily's arm and asked her if she was okay.

Shakily, she responded, "Yeah, I'm f-fine."

The group sobered up immensely as Remus levitated the ax back into its correct spot.

Nearing the portrait hole, Lily rested the baby against her other shoulder and muttered the password. Climbing through, she automatically headed towards her dorm, thankful the common room was deserted. About to head up to her bed, she turned around when she heard someone clear his throat loudly.

James smiled at the redhead and pointed towards the stairs to the boys' dorm. He asked, "Forgetting something?"

Lily blushed and shook her head. "I think I will be—"

Sirius shook his head with more conviction. "Sorry, sweets, but you're not going anywhere, especially after that close slice-and-dice job that almost cut you in half."

Lily started to object but she soon realized that she was fighting a losing battle. "Ughh," she growled, frowning at their persistence, "Well, I have to go up there anyway, I don't have any night clothes, or my toothbrush."

Remus walked over to her, turned her around, and marched her back to his friends. "Never fear, Lily," he said, "I'll get your stuff, you stay here with the lads."

"But you can't get up the—"

Remus waved away her objection, finding her naivety endearing. "Don't be silly, we've been able to bypass that since fourth year."

Lily frowned, not liking the idea that the Marauders could get up her boyproof staircase. "But, how do—"

Sirius cut off her question, saying, "Now, Evans, a Marauder never reveals his secrets. Now, be a good girl and tell the nice man what you need."

Lily gritted her teeth at his patronizing tone but nevertheless rattled off a list of her essentials. Wanting to stay at the landing to witness how the boys overruled the staircase ward, she was rather put off when James, Peter, and Sirius led her up the stairs. She was even angrier when James and Sirius insisted she stay with Peter for a couple of minutes while they 'tidied up.' When she was finally allowed in the hallowed room that was the Marauder's lair, she knew right away from the clothes strewn everywhere and the books lying around that they hadn't tidied up, more like hid any incriminating evidence from her eyes.

She was pleasantly surprised to already find an extra bed in the room (mine must be the one nearest to the door, she thought, it's the only one made, the bunch of slobs…)

"Alright, Red," Sirius said, dramatically waving his arms around, "This is the foyer, observe the remarkable baroque crown molding gracing the ceiling, you'll find the billiards room through the hallway on your right down—"

A pillow thrown at him by James disrupted Sirius' ridiculous antics.

"Ignore the git, Lily," James said, laughing at Sirius dramatically rubbing his chest where the missile pillow had hit him, "He get's excited when strangers are around, we just paper-trained him and all…" He let his last words draw out and Lily had the distinct feeling she was missing something.

"Anyway," Sirius said, mock-glaring at his best friend, he turned to face Lily, "So, I'm finding this weird, I mean, we've been in the same house for six years and I know nothing about you. What's your favorite ice-cream? Favorite band? Any dark, painful secrets you want to share?" Sirius flopped down on the edge of her bed and did his best impression of a teenage gossip girl, the hair-twirl and all.

Lily blushed at his interest, and turned her focus to the baby, almost hoping he would start crying so she wouldn't have to face this interrogation. No luck. "Uh," she started, wishing she had something interesting to tell the boys, "Chocolate, The Beatles, and no."

Sirius nodded. "A woman of few words, well, that's refreshing."

James threw yet another pillow at his nosy friend. "Don't mind him," James said, "You must be tired, and I hear Remus bounding up the stairs. Why don't we all get some sleep? It's been a weird day, and I suspect we're going to have to deal with lots odd stares and weird questions tomorrow."

Lily's eyes widened. She hadn't even thought of the attention this baby would get her, not to mention the fact that wherever the Marauders went, crowds followed. Shite…

Lily's depressing thoughts were interrupted when Remus came through the door, wiping his mouth. "Well" he said, handing Lily a bag of her stuff, "Hope it's all there."

Sirius smiled at his friend, seeing a bit of lipstick still on his lips. It seems his lycanthropic friend had not volunteered to get Lily's stuff out of the kindness of his heart, he must have made a clandestine stop along the way… Sirius smiled and said cheekily, "Missed a spot, Moony."

Remus smiled at his friend's teasing. Refusing to answer, he picked up his pajama pants and went to change in the bathroom (not something he normally did, but he didn't want to embarrass Lily any more than she already was).

Lily sat on her bed and rocked the baby while she conjured up a nappy to change the infant and fed it a bottle that Dumbledore had had the house elves send up.  
The boys joked good-naturedly with one another as they prepared for bed (Sirius, having no shame, changed right in front of her and had the audacity to laugh when she scrunched up her eyes and told him to get some new manners).

"Um, so… Goodnight boys," Lily said, feeling rather awkward after having changed into her oversized t-shirt to sleep in. She had to laugh when she heard a perfectly synchronized chorus of 'Goodnight Lily Evans' come from the boys' mouths. Shutting the curtains and casting a protective shield around her and the babe, she couldn't help but smile at the baby's soft snoring. He looked beautiful, just lying there against the maroon sheets, cuddled next to her. Giving him a quick kiss on his forehead, she idly thought that she would have to name the little cherub soon… Oh, well, that could wait for morning, she decided. Smiling into her pillow, she quickly said her prayers and snuggled down for the night.

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But alas, a comfortable night of sleep was not in the cards for our redheaded protagonist.

Although it felt as though she had only just fallen asleep, in all actuality, she had been dead to the world for four hours before the little child had started wailing. Shooting up in the bed, Lily was at first more than a little disorientated to find a wailing baby lying next to her. As the events of the past few hours sank in, she quickly moved to comfort the little one. Finding that he had a dirty diaper, she quickly changed his nappy and banished the used one, casting a refreshing spell on the air surrounding her.

Although Lily had disposed of the offending piece of cloth, the little hellion continued to howl. Hearing the boys stirring around her, she quickly grabbed a bottle and started to hustle out of the room. She would quiet him in the common room, no sense in waking the boys up even more…

Just as she reached the door, she heard someone moving behind her. She turned and saw James pulling a sweatshirt over his toned chest, not looking the least bit miffed.

He was obviously intent on joining her, but Lily didn't want to deprive him of sleep.

"Potter, don't get up on account of—"

He held up a hand to silence her. "No argument, Lils, I can't have any rogue fires or whizzing blades snuffing out such a pretty lady."

Lily blushed at his complement (obviously exhaustion-induced, she decided).

"No, really, I—" Lily said.

Sirius interrupted, it sounded as though a pillow muffled his voice. "Well, whatever you two crazy kids decide to do, please do it somewhere where I don't have to lose my beauty sleep listening to you two flirt. Not that I need it, of course. The beauty sleep, that is."

Lily quickly exited the room, wondering if her cheeks could possibly flame up any more.

Sitting down on a squashy couch next to the fireplace, she decided to try and ignore the presence of the gorgeous quidditch captain who had opted to sit next to her.

Lily gently rocked the baby back and forth, offering it its bottle every now and then.

James watched Lily cuddle the child. He couldn't believe he had never really noticed how beautiful Lily Evans was before tonight. Her hair was shimmering in the firelight and her ivory skin was lustrous against her flushed cheeks.

He couldn't envision any of the other girls in his year, especially some of his past girlfriends, ever showing such selflessness in agreeing to care for a baby that wasn't even theirs, yet Lily seemed to enjoy the task, or at least he thought she did, judging from the soft maternal smile gracing her pretty features.

Lily glanced nervously at James. He had been staring at her for ages, did she have something on her face? Discreetly rubbing her hand across her cheek, she decided that that was not the case. After a few more minutes, Lily couldn't stand the torture any longer.

"What?" she asked, irritation coating her words.

Rather than be offended by her harsh tone, James merely smiled at her. She didn't try to flirt with him, it was refreshing, it was intriguing, and it was damn enticing! He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he was rapidly developing a thing for the appealing surrogate mother.

"Nothing," he replied, smiling at her rocking the baby. He was quieting down now. James was almost regretful, wanting to spend a few more moments alone with the girl. "You know," he said, "Sirius is right, I barely know you. Since we'll be more or less inseparable for the next couple months, we should probably rectify that."

Not knowing what to say, Lily just shrugged and looked down at the baby.

James decided he needed to take the first step. Leaning forward, he offered her his hand to shake and said, "Hi, I'm James Harold Potter. I'm a Gryffindor sixth year and captain of the quidditch team. My favorite class is Ancient Runes, and I loathe Divination, it's too wishy-washy for me, I like the definitiveness of numbers. I'm also quite adept at Transfiguration, and I'm pretty good at riling ol' Minerva up. My favorite book is _1984 _and I want to be an Unspeakable when I grow up, just like my Mum."

Lily was rather dazed by all the information just given to her, so she shook his hand and mumbled a 'nice to meet you'.

"Come now, Lils," James said smiling at her reservation, "That's not how it works, you have to tell me about yourself now."

Sighing, Lily decided it would just be easier to answer him. "Um, well, my name's Lily Evans. Uh…I like to draw, I like Charms but I don't like Astronomy. Um… My favorite book is _The Sun also Rises…_Uh… That's about it… Oh! And I want to teach at Hogwarts when I grow up."

James smiled. That was the most amount of words he had ever heard come from her tempting lips. "Really?" he asked, genuinely interested, "Which subject would you like to teach?"

"Ummmm, Charms, Potions, or Arithmancy." She replied.

"Cool." James said, smiling at her.

She tentatively smiled back, praying her cheeks weren't scarlet. "Well, it looks like he's asleep. Let's head upstairs," Lily said.

James agreed with a nod and they walked back up the stairs, each one not knowing that they had caused the other to get a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of their stomachs. Nor did the two teenagers know that this time in a few years, they would not be rocking a merinfant together, but a child of their own, the product of one of the strongest marriages known to wizard kind.

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Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe

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Lily stared intently at the writing on the blackboard in front of her, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the child in her arms was amusing itself by sucking on a handful of her vibrant hair. Sighing affectionately at the apparently slobber-filled youth in her arms, she repositioned the bundle of joy in her arms, attempted to copy down Professor Vector's notes, and endeavored to ignore the constant stares she had been receiving since she and her 'protectors' had made an appearance with a gurgling baby in their group a number of hours ago.

After years of blending into the background, Lily found it very unsettling to be thrust into the limelight. Also, her Marauding companions were not making her newfound star status any easier to swallow, what with their constant teasing regarding how crimson she went when she was the object of great speculation.

This newfound celebrity status, much to her surprise, was not exclusively the product of the baby in her arms, but was also caused by her newfound guardians. It seemed that wherever the Marauders went, a gaggle of people followed. Lily found herself thinking (not for the first time today), that if this bothersome following was a product of popularity, what the hell was so coveted about a high-ranking spot on the teenage hierarchy?

Although it seemed that Dumbledore had briefed the Hogwart's population about the newborn addition to its numbers, this did not stop her fellow students from staring at her like some glass-stomping geek at a 5 cent carnival from 1920. Lily shook her head to clear her uneasy thoughts and focus on her lesson, but she couldn't shake the numerous pairs of eyeballs she could feel drilling into her from all angles.

Lily felt as though she had a large neon sign flashing above her head reading, 'Stare at me, I'm a freak!'. Just as she felt she would crack and go Chuck Norris on her classmates, she felt a balled up piece of paper hit her head. Squeezing her eyes shut, she forced herself to not turn around.

There were only two people sitting behind her.

James and Sirius.

The bloody thorns in her bloody side.

Refusing to answer whichever one of them hit her with the impromptu missile, she resumed copying her notes, ignoring Remus, who was chuckling at her attempts to pay no attention to his two friends. She obviously didn't understand how persistent his friends (in this case, Sirius, for he had thrown the note) could be.

17 balls of projectile paper and forty minutes later, Vector dismissed the class and the students were packing up their belongings and heading to lunch.

Lily whirled around (oblivious to the fact that her sudden movement had angered the baby) and glared at the offending Marauders.

Narrowing her eyes and readjusting the baby in her arms, she asked in a dangerously low voice, "Which one of you?"

They were both the picture of innocence, pointing their index finger at the other.

Lily huffed at their impertinence and rocked the baby from side to side.

"Do either of you know rule #54 in _The Hogwart's Manuel of Decorum and Regulations?"_ She asked, relishing her the feeling of superiority she was experiencing.

Sirius laughed at her attempt to chastise them. He casually threw an arm over her shoulder and bent low to amuse the baby with several of his best scary faces.

The baby laughed at his effort and reached for a lock of his shiny black hair. Lily and the boys laughed at Sirius' antics, her earlier chastisement forgotten.

James smiled at Lily and took her rucksack from her so he could carry it. "So, Lily," he said, laughing slightly at his friend who's hair was still in the baby's fist, causing him to walk at a 45-degree angle rather than deprive the tyke of his tresses, "have you thought of a name for the little devil yet? We can't all keep calling him 'baby."

Lily looked over a James and shrugged. "I've been thinking about it, I haven't decided—"

Lily's words were cut off when Sirius jumped in and suggested they name the baby after him.

The group laughed.

Sirius took mock offence.

"Sirius is a good, strong name!" Sirius said, looking rather foolish still at the 45-degree angle, "Honestly, it never did me any harm!"

Remus smiled at his charismatic friend. "Well…"

Sirius sent a teasing glare his way, stifling whatever Remus was going to rejoin with.

"I was thinking something original," Lily piped in, "something unique… I lkie the name Asher, and I like Edgar, and—"

Sirius interrupted again. "Whoa, Whoa, Lils, firstly, this child is neither one of Santa's reindeer, nor is he an eighty year old cheese vendor. Secondly, Sirius is a fine name and he would be joyous to have it."

Lily glared at him. "_Firstly," _she said, mocking his word choice, " That reindeer is named 'Dasher', not Asher, and Edgar is a fine name!"

Sirius rolled his eyes and straightened up after the baby finally let go of his locks. "Yeah," he agreed, "If you're an eighty year old cheese vendor," he added, under his breath.

Upon finally reaching the Great Hall, they took a seat near the end of the table where they saw a bottle of milk already awaiting them. Lily sat down and started feeding the baby. The boys joined her and loaded their plates with enough food to feed the Mongolian empire.

James, upon noticing Lily wasn't eating, slid some chicken over to her and suggested he hold the baby while she ate her fill.

Lily blushed at his concern and nodded shyly, placing the baby in his arms carefully and instructed him to support the baby's head.

James smiled at the baby, who in turn gurgled happily and reached for a shiny shaker of salt on the table. James handed it to the baby and didn't seem upset to soon find the two of them covered in salt once the baby discovered the joy of turning the shiny container upside down.

"So, Lils," Sirius said, breaking the companiable silence, "how does it feel to be the centre of attention? Itching to throttle the gawkers?"

Lily glared at him and wished he wasn't so astute. "It's fine, "she said, her tone inviting no further discussion.

Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically and let the topic drop, sending her a hearty wink to reassure her this was not the end of his good-natured teasing.

Remus finished his last bite with a flourish and sat back, amusing himself by watching Prongs interact with the baby. Prongs had never given any inclination he had a paternal bone in his body but Remus couldn't ignore how easily he had adapted to the baby's presence, or the surrogate mother's, for that matter. Remus hadn't missed the odd, almost soft, looks his friend had sent the redhead's way, this intrigued Remus. Remus had always known James to be laid back when it came to birds, always letting them do the work in relationships and leaving before things got too involved, this new attraction to Lily could change all that… Remus tucked his thoughts away, thinking he would have a talk with James about it soon.

Getting up and dramatically stretching his arms above his shoulders, Remus winked at Sirius and Peter, announcing that they should really go and finish their Charms homework before their class this afternoon.

Knowing they had finished said homework a couple nights ago, the two boys caught onto Remus' wish to leave the two teenagers and the baby alone and got up to leave, smiling rakishly at James, who smirked at them in return.

Shaking his head at his friends' antics, he couldn't help but be thankful they were so perceptive. He smiled at Lily (who was totally oblivious to his friends' hidden motives). Thinking to move closer to Lily, he started to scoot over but stopped when he felt someone sit down next o him.

Dammit, he recognized that perfume. Sighing dramatically, he didn't even have to turn around to know that Emmeline Vance had just sat down next to him. He muttered a quick 'hello' and focused his attention on the baby. God, some girls just didn't give up! After their breakup last month, Emmeline had quickly forgotten her vow to loathe him for all eternity for breaking her heart and started following him around, 'accidentally' bumping into him and dropping her books in front of him.

"Hi James!" she said, her voice dripping cheerfulness. "So, it's true, then? All this baby gossip?"

He rolled his eyes at her; didn't she see the baby in his arms?

He glanced over at Lily, who was shaking with laughter at the girl's idiocy.

"I was just thinking, I—" Emmeline said, twirling a strand of golden hair around her well-manicured finger.

James interrupted her. "That's great, well, nice talking to you, come on, Lily, time for our walk."

Lily glanced up, surprised that he wanted to leave the blond girl here; didn't all the other boys like Emmeline and clamor for her attention?

"Uh, actually, if you want to stay—" Lily said, not wanting to upset her blond roommate.

"Come on, _Lily," _James said, communicating without words that he wanted to be elsewhere, "Remember, you wanted to take the baby on a _walk…"_

Lily understood that he wanted to leave. Wiping her mouth on her napkin, she quickly got up and took the baby from James, sending an apologetic look to the blonde. They waved goodbye and bee-lined for the door. Lily wanted to question him about their quick exit but found herself tongue-tied by his handsome profile next to her.

She mentally slapped herself for her foolishness. 45 minutes! They had 45 minutes till their next class, what the hell was she supposed to talk about with a tremendously popular/gorgeous/perfect buy for 45 fucking minutes?!?!

Dammit… This was going to be a _long _lunch hour…


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe

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Lily shifted the baby in her arms over to her other shoulder. Without looking James' way, she ambled off towards the lake. James followed her. Walking behind her, he couldn't help but smile at the faint flush he knew was staining her cheeks. She was obviously affected by his presence, but was it in the intimate way that he was hoping for?

Catching up with Lily, James started whistling as he glanced at the baby; he was sleeping like… well, a baby, funnily enough. James smiled, realizing their hasty excuse to retreat from Emmeline had inadvertently scored him some much appreciated time with Lily.

"So, Lily," James said, his voice quiet in effort to keep the baby slumbering, "What do you feel like doing tonight? After Transfiguration, we have the whole afternoon off. The world is our oyster, metaphorically speaking, of course, shellfish are in all actuality malicious creatures."

Lily laughed at James' amusing sense of humor. Upon hearing her laugh, James immediately found it entrancing; he vowed he would make it happen as often as he was able.

"Ummm…" Lily said, thinking about how she usually spent her free time, "I usually go to the Library. We have that Potions essay due next month, I would like to start my research…" Her voice trailed off as she saw his amused expression. She fought to remain unfazed by his enjoyment; she didn't care if he thought she was an uninteresting bookworm (_Uhhuh, you just keep telling yourself that, sweetheart, _a traitorous voice inside her head remarked snidely)…

"I see…" James said, smiling at the attractive blush staining Lily's cheeks, "You know, I think we should talk about your insane party-animal tendencies. Your reckless inclinations are dangerous, think of the baby!"

Lily tried to glare at his sarcasm, but found his sense of humor far too endearing to sustain her indignation. "Alright, wise guy," she said, her eyes twinkling with amusement, "What do you suggest we do? Jump off the Astronomy tower? Challenge the centaurs? Maybe we could find Aragog and poke him repeatedly with a pointy stick."

James laughed at her humorous suggestions (unknowingly causing Lily's knees to turn to jelly when she saw how his face became even more handsome when he laughed). "Well," he said, smiling at the redhead, "I've heard the centaurs get rather testy when challenged, and if by some grace of God I get you into the Astronomy tower, I hope we can put it to a more… _traditional _use."

Lily's eyes widened at his statement. She had caught enough students during her prefect patrols to know about the more traditional uses of the tower. He couldn't possibly mean… Could he?

James could have slapped himself for falling into old patterns. The usual innuendos would prove ineffective with Lily, if the horrified look on her pretty features was any indication.

"Uh," he said, trying to distract her from his blunder, "Maybe the guys want to have a game of quidditch, we could grab a quick supper and head down to the pitch…"

Lily stared straight ahead, reprimanding herself for thinking that a guy like him could ever want… well, _that_, from a bookworm like her. Yes, she was being fanciful, best to just ignore her raging hormones and focus her attention on the infant in her arms.

"Uh, yeah, quidditch. Great." Her agreement lacked a certain enthusiasm.

He smiled at her, sensing she would rather swallow her mandatory pointy hat than watch him and his friends practice. Obviously, he would have to convert her.

"Cool," he said, "Do you like the house games? They're obviously not nearly as fun as the pro ones, but we've put together a great line-up this year."

Lily was rather hesitant to admit that she had never actually attended a game. "Well," she said, not meeting his eyes, "I haven't really… that is to say, I've never, well, I'm not really a joiner, so I don't usually…"

Although her speech was choppy and incomplete, her meaning slowly sunk into James. "Lily," he said slowly, "please tell me you've seen a game."

She remained quiet.

"Lily…" He repeated.

"Well," she said, "Not so much _seen_…"

He stared at her. "Well," he said, giving her an odd smile, "That settles it. Tonight, I am introducing you to my true love, happiness on a stick. Well, a broom, but still, you get the point."

She smiled nervously, thinking James Potter and balancing fifty feet in the air on a thin piece of wood are dangerous enough solo; together, they would be positively perilous!

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Lily would soon discover her assumption was not far off.

She and the boys made their way down to the pitch, balancing the brooms, a plateful of sandwiches, and a pitcher of pumpkin juice between the four of them. Lily sat down on the grass, placing the babe between her legs so it could amuse itself with a grasshopper that was jumping around on the ground. Had Lily not been so preoccupied with setting out all the provisions the boys had brought, she might have noticed that as soon as the grasshopper hopped out of reach, it mysteriously zoomed back into the baby's hand, as if by magic…

"Eat up, Lils," a voice called from the sky above her (she recognized James' sexy drawl without having to look up), "'Cause once you're fed and watered, you can share my broom!"

Lily rolled her eyes. Not. Bloody. Likely.

As she picked up a ham sandwich to bite into, she felt someone flop down next to her. Glancing up, her eyes connected with Remus'. Smiling at her, he reached over and grabbed himself a sandwich.

"Shouldn't you be zooming around in the sky on a ridiculously small twig-like apparatus?" she asked.

He shook his hair, causing a lock of sandy hair to fall into his deep hazel eyes. "Nahhh," he said between bites, "Why sweat in the hot sun when there's a pretty lady all alone on the ground, save for an accident-prone merinfant?"

Lily blushed. She knew Remus wasn't flirting with her, this was just how the Marauders were: too damn charismatic for their own safety.

Remus smiled at the redheads flushed cheeks, he definitely saw what James found so entrancing about the redhead; she was so genuine.

"So…" he said, adopting a look of pure innocence, "You think James is quite the looker, don't you?"

Lily spewed out the sip of pumpkin juice she had been taking, effectively showering Remus. Delicately wiping the juice off his brow, he continued smiling at her.

"I… I don't—You can't just! I never! Well! I, uh—" Lily spluttered.

Remus laughed at her jumbled sentence. "Chill, Lily," he said, still chuckling at her reaction, "Your secret's safe with me." He paused, idly twirling a piece of grass between his forefingers. "You want to _huuuuuuuuuug _him, you want to _kiiiiiiiiiiissssssssss _him, you want to—" Remus' little ditty was interrupted by a sharp slap to his head.

The buys zooming around in the sky looked down to see what had caused Remus' yelp of pain, and laughed when they saw Lily wringing her hand. They wondered what he had said to deserve that.

"Oi!" Sirius called out, laughing at his lycanthropic friend, "What's got her lacy knickers in a twist?"

Remus, still rubbing his head, yelled back jovially, "I was just telling her she wanted to—" He was again interrupted by a slap to the head.

Remus smiled at Lily. "Relax," he said, "I said I wasn't going to tell, I was going to say that you wanted to go for a spin on James' broom. Just because I'm not going to divulge your hearts desperate longing for Jamsiekins, doesn't mean I'm not going to tease you unmercifully about it."

Lily harrumphed, muttering about 'sodding Marauders' and their 'sodding intuition'.

Remus smiled at her mutterings. He was becoming more and more convinced that this was the gal for his best mate. James was the most loyal person he knew; he deserved someone worthy by his side.

Just as Remus was about to continue ribbing Lily about her obvious affections, said loyal companion landed beside them, stating that it was now time for Lily to go on a ride with him.

Lily's eyes widened. "Uh," she said, articulacy shot to hell, "Well, I would, you see, but the baby, and I have to, um… hold him." She wondered if anyone handed out prizes for lame excuses.

Remus smiled at her sorry attempt to evade James' 'ridiculously small twig-like apparatus.'

"Honestly," Remus said, a teasing lilt in his deep voice, "James, you shouldn't tease her, can't you see she's way to scared to fly?"

James smiled at Remus' attempt to goad Lily into flying, and by the look of indignation on Lily's face, it was successful.

"Oh, how ungallant of me," James said, giving Lily an outrageous bow, "I didn't realize you were scared of something as harmless as flying. Well, in that case, I'll just—"

"I'm not scared!" Lily said, her vehemence making the baby cry.

"Really, Lily," James said, his tone annoyingly patronizing, "You don't have to be ashamed, fear is a natural feeling—"

"Oh, stuff it, you berk," she said, loathing the idea they would think her afraid of anything, especially a collection of twigs on a stick. A collection of twigs on a stick that hovered. A collection of twigs on a stick that hovered and could send her catapulting towards her untimely death. Breathe, Lily. Breathe.

She affected a courageous smile as she handed the baby over to Remus, holding her head high. It wasn't until James helped her mount the broom that she glimpsed a victorious wink shared between the two friends and began to suspect that she had played right into their devious hands…

Oh well, she had bigger problems to deal with. She felt her stomach flutter as James' hands slid around her waist slowly, almost as if he was caressing her. She swallowed hard and had to bite back a moan as his hands traveled over her sides and down to the broom handle in front of her, bringing his hard chest against her back, his warm breath caressing her neck.

Bloody. Fucking. Hell.

If the ride didn't kill her, her hormones certainly would.

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Please Review. (The baby's telekinesis will be explored in the next chapter)


	5. Chapter 5

I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe

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If Lily thought _she _was in trouble, she had _nothing _on James.

James swallowed convulsively as Lily slid onto his broom. As the drugging smell of her hair flooded his nostrils, he briefly wondered if this was a good idea. His ability to think soon vanished, though, as his hands slid over the curve of Lily's waist, as if by their own making. He stood behind her, his eyes fixated on her shining hair and the gentle curve of her back. Had he not heard his friends laughing over his fascination, he probably wouldn't have even remembered to fly.

Sending his friends a death glare, he shook his head in an attempt to clear his stupor and prepared to take off.

Lily, casting Remus, Sirius, and Peter odd looks for laughing over nothing, momentarily forgot her fear. "What are they laughing about?" She asked James, turning around to look at him, wondering if she was holding onto the broom incorrectly.

James glared at his friends as they continued to laugh. "Nothing, Lils," he said, "Hold on tight, you'll enjoy this."

Lily wasn't terribly keen on the possibility of plummeting to her death, but she could get used to the sensation of James' hands around her waist and the feel of his well-toned chest supporting her back. Her hormonal thoughts were soon shaken as she felt the broom take off.

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The three Marauders on the ground stared up at the two teenagers flying above their heads. They all wore similar looks of amusement on their faces: Prongsie was in love! Well, perhaps not _love_, but there was definitely something going on between their friend and the redhead, and they couldn't be happier.

Remus smiled at his two friends as he shifted the baby to his other shoulder, idly praying that the little infant wouldn't vomit on his sweatshirt.

"Ah, young love…" Sirius sighed as he flopped down on the grass and grabbed the plate of sandwiches.

"Prongs is two months older than you, Paddy," Remus said, rolling his eyes and making a grab for another sandwich before his shaggy-haired friend devoured them all.

"Perhaps in years, Prongs has me beaten, but we all know I am vastly more mature and couth than he is, what with my wealth of experience and knowledge," Sirius rejoined through a mouthful of food.

Peter and Remus rolled their eyes.

The three ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, watching Lily and James swooping through the air. Their friendly tranquility was soon broken when the baby started crying.

"Ah, the joys of fatherhood…" Remus said as he tried to calm the baby down (and failed miserably).

Sirius' eyebrows came together as he contemplated the baby. It was staring up at the sky, its eyes following the broom. But surely… Surely the baby didn't understand that its pseudo-mother was flying? From its wails of distress, Sirius surmised otherwise and reminded itself that this was no ordinary baby. Perhaps its magic was able to sense when its mother thought she was in danger?

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Lily was quite convinced she had died, but she was unsure if she was in heaven or hell. The fear coursing through her veins was a sharp contrast to the arousal she felt from James large hands holding her close to his hard stomach. As they climbed higher and higher, she felt a strange euphoria. Gone were the problems she was usually plagued with. Suddenly, the piles of homework she agonized over, the Slytherins who taunted her over her impure blood, and the student body that gawked at her like some kind of freak show were gone. All that existed was she, James, and a piece of wood and twigs between their legs.

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James smiled at the redhead in his arms. He could feel the fear diminishing from her body, replaced with what he hoped was both a love of flying and a trust in him. He couldn't contain his smile when he heard her let out a small giggle as he raced a flying swallow for a few seconds.

James looked thoughtfully at the girl in front of him. He had never really known much about Lily Evans before this whole baby episode. She was quiet, staggeringly bright, and a recluse, or at least that's what you would be told if you were to ask anyone about her, even her own roommates. Although this was the image she presented to the world, James had been privy to a different side of her lately: a side of Lily Evans that was witty, intriguing, and damn sexy!

Yes, she was beautiful, but he had known many beautiful girls. No, it was something else, something special about her… She was always—

_Whoa_

James' internal categorization of Lily's qualities vanished as soon as he felt his broom buck slightly. But that was impossible; he had the newest Shooting Star! There were some professionals that still didn't have this model!

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Sirius frowned at the baby beside him. The child's hands were reaching up to the sky and his face was rapidly turning a splotchy red due to his unceasing wailing.

"Moony…" Sirius said slowly, his eyes moving from the child to the broom and back again.

"Quiet Padfoot," Remus said, his voice strained as he attempted to calm the baby in his arms.

"Dammit," Remus grated out, feeling completely inadequate. "Call Lily down, I'm complete rubbish at this!"

"I don't think we'll have to call her down," Sirius said, his voice strangely calm.

"What the bloody hell are you on about?" Remus asked, shooting his friend a look of exasperation.

Sirius pointed his finger to the sky. Peter and Remus slowly turned their heads to the flying couple.

"Bloody hell…" The three friends cursed in sync.

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James' mind was whirling. His broom was acting up and he was worried what Lily's reaction would be. Slowly, he attempted to guide his broom to the ground. His broom was jerking and bucking slightly harder now, throwing Lily's body flush against his.

_Focus, boy!_ James mentally berated himself.

Lily let out a strangled giggle as the broom went rather forcefully to the left.

"Very funny, Potter," she said, trying not to let her fear show. "Let's scare the first-time flyer, haha."

James chuckled lamely as his muscles strained to control the broom. It felt like a large magnet was drawing them closer to the ground. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Sirius finger pointing towards them. That fucking prick! He must have jinxed the broom! Probably thought it would be hilarious! Let's terrify Lily and embarrass James! It'll be a right riot!

Glaring at his friends, he turned his broom around and allowed it to fly the course that it was pulling. Oh, when he got his hands on Sirius…

But surprisingly, his three friends were wandless and sporting identical looks of shock as his broom came to an abrupt stop in front of Remus and the baby. Instantly, James knew something was not as it seemed.

Lily climbed off the broom, praying that her wobbly legs would support her. Pasting a smile on her face, she turned to them. "Well, that was—err, fun…" she said, her tone belying her words.

Hastily, the screeching baby was deposited into her arms.

"Did what I think just happen actually just happen?" Remus asked.

Lily furrowed her brow, at a complete loss. Glancing at James, she saw the same look of confusion marring his handsome features.

"Was it… the kid?" James asked, his tone slightly incredulous.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked feeling completely out of the loop.

"Yeah, I saw him," Sirius said, "The broom was following his hands, it was bloody weird."

Lily let out a harsh breath of annoyance at being so blatantly ignored. "Hello! Rewind!" she said, exasperation lacing her words.

She was met with four looks of confusion.

"Ughhh!" she yelled, "It's a muggle thing. Anyway, what did Edgar do?"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Sirius exclaimed," The child is not named Edg—"

"He was controlling the broom, Lily," Remus interrupted Sirius' tirade.

"But James said that was just a joke, just a prank…" Lily said, her eyes narrowing on the gorgeous quidditch captain (who at least had the common sense to look abashed) .

"Well," he said, not looking her in the eye, "That's what you concluded, I didn't actually confirm or deny…"

Lily calmly assessed the blushing boy in front of her. Serenely, she handed the baby to Sirius.

"Are you telling me," she said, her tone even and unruffled, "That I was fifty feet in the air and we could have plummeted to our deaths without you even bothering to tell me?"

Lulled by Lily's calming tone, James cast her a boyish smile and nodded.

Without warning, Lily swung out at him with her palm. "YOU BASTARD!" She said, whacking him repeatedly. "I COULD HAVE DIED!"

All four boys were stunned by the little spitfire, who was usually so calm and collected, beating the tall, well-built quidditch player to a pulp.

Covering his face and attempting to block out the sounds of his friends' laughter, James tried to evade her attacks. "I'm sorry! I—" his apology was cut off when Lily landed a nice uppercut to his jaw.

Taking off at a run, James looked behind him and saw Lily's short legs chasing after him with a vengeance. James couldn't help but laugh at her fierce demeanor. She wanted to wrestle, eh? Alright, then wrestling it would be.

Gaining a couple meters on her, he sharply turned around. He saw her eyes widen as he faced her. Launching himself on her (but careful not to hurt her) he tackled her to the ground.

Lying on top off her, his previous thoughts of wrestling flew out the metaphorical window as their eyes connected.

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All off Lily's rage evaporated as she gazed up into James Potter's eyes. They were mesmerizing. No wonder her fellow roommates were always going on about them.

Lily swallowed convulsively as she tried to calm her racing pulse.

Slowly, James lowered his mouth till it was mere centimeters from hers. Her lips parted unconsciously as she thought he was going to kiss her, yet his mouth skimmed her skin until he reached her ear.

"Forgive me?" he whispered, the fell of his breath causing her to shiver with awareness.

"Never…" she whispered back, her eyes wide with longing.

He smiled at her. His smile was dangerously attractive.

"You leave me little choice then…" he said, his tone teasing.

Lily's eyebrows shot up as she felt his fingers creep up her sides.

"I bet you are very, very ticklish, Miss Evans…" he said, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Nooooo…" she whispered.

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Peter, Remus and Sirius stared at the two teenagers on the ground.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Peter asked confusedly.

Sirius and Remus exchanged an amused look.

"Oh, the usual," Sirius said, his tone flippant. "The weather, politics, the best places to shag in the castle…"

He shifted he baby to his other shoulder. Looking down at him, a sudden thought struck Sirius. Lifting the baby up to eye level, Sirius cleared his throat. Speaking loudly, slowly, and with great enunciation, he said very clearly, "Sirius. You're name is Sirius. Si-ri-us. Siiiiiiirrrrrrriiiiiiiiiuuuuuuusssssss."

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend. Before he could begin numbering the attributes of a fine name like Edgar, he was distracted by a loud shriek. Turning towards the noise, he smiled at the sight before him. Lily was shrieking like a mad woman and the reason for it was apparent: she was ticklish.

Beneath James' large body, Lily's short limbs were flailing and thrashing. Her eyes were shedding tears of mirth. Remus could practically feel James' smile, his gaze warm with longing and something else… something more profound…

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"No, please! JAMES! NO! Hah! Oh God!" Lily screamed, her tirade broken up occasionally by her maniacal laughter.

James laughed down at her, taking in her flushed cheeks and her gasps for breath.

"Nope, sorry Lils, admit you forgive me then I'll stop," James said, his fingers tickling her ferociously.

"Never!" she screamed, her eyes flashing with happiness, her tone already confirming that she had forgiven him yet would never admit it out loud.

James smiled and stepped up the tickling torture. Shrieking madly, Lily thrashed and flailed all the harder.

As her limbs convulsed, James had to swallow convulsively as her legs spread in an effort to evade his fingers. Her hips were bucking wildly and she barely noticed that his body had gone rigid.

James could scarcely contain a moan as she unwittingly pressed the juncture of her thighs against his waist. He let out an aggravated groan as he felt himself react to her nearness. Suddenly, it was no longer a game.

Lily stopped moving about when she heard him groan. Fearful she had hurt him, she anxiously looked up. His face was tense and she feared she had injured him.

"Uh, James?" she said, "Are you… alright?"

He let out a harsh laugh at her innocent question. "You have no idea, do you?" he asked, looking at her with an almost feral glint in his eye.

Not understanding his meaning, (and more than a little embarrassed at their intimate position) Lily shifter her legs, trying to move out from under him before she lost all her dignity and attacked him with her lips.

James could not contain another moan as she tentatively shifted her hips against his. His hands reached down to still her motion before she moved and came into contact with his arousal.

Their eyes caught and neither could look away. Slowly, slowly, slowly, James bent his head till his mouth was next to hers.

Lily could not stop staring at James mouth. It was perfectly shaped, and his sweet breath was washing over her skin. Oh, god. Was he going to kiss her? Oh sweet Circe, he was…

_Please review_


	6. Chapter 6

I own nothing from the Harry Potter Universe

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Lily stared at James' lips, a mere inch from her own. Breathing slowly, Lily felt as if time had slowed perceptively, and all that existed in the world was her, James, and the grass they lay upon. Before Lily could weigh the consequences or even think about the repercussions, she reached up and threaded her hands in James' hair and pulled him down for a kiss. With only tacky romance novels to rely on, Lily was unprepared for the rush of pure need that washed over her as she felt James' lips move skillfully over her own.

Lily moaned slightly as James' fingers softly brushed over the sensitive skin of her arm, and then gasped as she felt his tongue invade her mouth. Not allowing herself time to be embarrassed by her inexperience, Lily threw herself into the kiss.

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James' eyes slammed shut as waves of lust clouded his mind. Lily's kiss had caught him off guard, as had her passion and fervor. Her taste was indefinably 'Lily', and he couldn't seem to get enough. Breaking away slightly for air, James quickly re-attacked her mouth. Running his fingers tenderly up the delicate softness of her arms, he smiled against her pink lips as she shuddered with awareness.

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Letting out a soft gasp as James nuzzled her lips with his own, Lily smiled at how _right _this felt. Feeling _wanted_ and _desired _gave her a heady sense of power. Suddenly, all her problems seemed so far away. Exams, bullying, the baby, it was inconsequential in—Oh gods! The baby!

Gasping slightly, Lily suddenly jerked back from the embrace.

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James' eyes flew open as he felt the girl in his arms stiffen and then wrench from his touch. Had he not felt extremely vexed at the abrupt ending of what had been the most wonderful kiss of his life, James would have smiled at the pretty picture Lily made: mussed hair, shining eyes, flaming cheeks.

She looked like a goddess.

A very _embarrassed _goddess.

Shite, embarrassment was the _last _thing she should have been feeling. Bloody hell, that kiss had been electrifying!

"Lily, I—" James started, wanting to put her at ease.

"No! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have, well, you know, and then, well, I… well, gosh." Lily rambled, her cheeks getting even redder.

James almost laughed at her adorable babbling; it made him want to cuddle her.

Softly tucking a loose strand of hair behind her delicate ear, James smiled at her. "Don't apologize Lily, there's nothing to be sorry for!" Reluctantly climbing off her small body, James dusted himself off and offered her a callused hand to help her up.

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Jumping up nimbly, Lily bit her lip in worry, wondering how she could possibly face the Marauders after them witnessing her attacking their best mate with her lips. Gods, they'd probably think she was a nymphomaniac! They'd laugh! They'd be completely—

Gone.

They were gone!

Bloody hell, where did they go?!

Whirling around to where she and James had left the Marauders, the two teenagers saw and empty space.

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James smirked as he saw the vacant space where his friends had recently lain. Obviously, they had left the couple to give them a couple of minutes of privacy. He'd have to thank them later.

"They must be back in the dorm, come on Lils, we can head up and have a game of chess, sound good to you?" He asked, shooting her a lopsided grin and praying she didn't notice how profoundly affected he had been by the kiss they had just shared.

Softly taking her hand in his firm grip, James smiled back at her and pulled her blushing form along after him, towards the dorm.

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Climbing over the step down from the portrait hole, Lily prayed to whatever deity would listen for her blush to go away. Her eyes connected with the sight of three shaggy heads of hair lined up on the couch.

The Marauders.

Oh gods, she might die of embarrassment. She was a harlot, a scarlet woman! Jumping their friend and attacking him with her lips, the very same friend whose hand was now entwined with hers… Life was strange. Glancing over, she caught a reassuring wink from James. Gathering her courage, she tossed her hair out of her eyes and marched determinedly towards the three boys.

Feeling incredibly awkward, her eyes skimmed over the boys. Upon seeing her, they all grinned cheekily and remained quiet. Silently, she rolled her eyes at them and took the baby from Remus' arms and quickly transfigured a bottle of formula from a randomly discarded empty bottle of butterbeer.

Looking again at their deceptively innocent expressions juxtaposed with their devilish grins, she burped the baby and repositioned him to lie against her chest. She saw James jog up the stairs to his dorm and wondered briefly what he was doing.

"So, Red, how was your, er, _flying _lesson?" Sirius asked, quirking his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, did you have _fun _with Jamsie?" Remus asked, winking at her.

"You have a piece of grass in your hair, rolling around on the ground or _something_, Lily?" Peter said, giggling shrilly at her blush.

"Shut up, boys." Lily grumbled, focusing her attention on the baby.

"Lily and Jamsie, down in the grass, S-N-O-G-G-I-N-G! First comes uh, snogging, then comes—" Sirius' song was interrupted by a smack from behind. Lifting her eyes at his amusing squawk of indignation, Lily saw James smirking at his best friend's mock expression of hurt, before leaping nimbly over the couch to sit beside her, a folded up chess set in his hands. Blushing as James casually placed his arm around her slim shoulders, Lily vaguely heard him ask who wanted to challenge him first in a game of chess.

Puffing out his chest in a display of supposed manly virility, Remus bravely stepped forward, pretending to brandish a sword, and plopped himself on the ground, sprawling his long legs out and reaching forward to set up his colored chessmen.

As the minutes progressed, Lily felt her previous feeling of embarrassment seep away. The boys' hilarity and wit was so distracting that she soon found herself diverted and giggling at their antics, the warmth of James arm around her shoulder didn't hurt the situation either…

Looking down at the sleeping baby in her arms, Lily smiled at his small grin of contentment. Not for the first time, Lily marveled at the sheer stupidity of whoever had deemed him unworthy in his clan. He was the picture of perfection, all golden curls and blue peepers. Sighing perceptively, Lily allowed her eyelids to droop, relishing the warmth and happiness surrounding her.

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"Do you think we should wake her up?" Peter asked, looking at the small redhead curled up with baby, her head resting on James' shoulder.

"Don't be a git, Wormy," James whispered, careful not to wake the beautiful girl beside him up. "She's tired, leave us—, err, I mean, her, alone."

Sirius and Remus smiled at their grinning friend. Not only had James won the countless games of chess they had played over the last few hours, he was snuggled up to a gorgeous redhead who was snoring softly. They, along with the baby, made a cute picture.

"C'mon, lads, let us retire to our chambers and leave these lovebirds to their ridiculous amounts of shagging." Remus said, laughing at James' mock glare.

A chorus of goodnights rang out as James watched his friends mount the stairs. Smiling slightly at their antics, his gaze slid downwards to rest on the top of Lily's head. Her vibrant hair was spread out in an arc of cherry-red strands, glinting in the low light of the fire. Leaning in closer, James softly inhaled the light fragrance of her hair. Mmmm… She smelled so good, and thanks to today, he knew she tasted just as amazing. Replaying their kiss in his mind, his lips parted in a smile of contentment. Slowly, he tightened his arms around Lily and the baby, holding them close. Feeling a sensation of satisfaction, James closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come.

As his eyes drifted shut, James mulled over some questions… He wondered what tomorrow would bring. Would Lily wake up, all sleepy eyed and sexily tousled, and rouse him with a kiss? Probably not, she was still so shy, but he could dream, couldn't he? Maybe she would stammer adorably again, get all tongue-tied and then he would silence her with another embrace? Whatever happened, he was sure that—

Wait a second…

What the fuck is that burning smell?

Bloody fuck!


End file.
